GAA Launches Streaming Service For International Fans

The GAA today launched its new subscription-based online streaming service which will offer live and on-demand GAA games to audiences worldwide, outside of the Island of Ireland.

GAAGO was launched by Noel Curran, Director General of RTÉ and Páraic Duffy, Director General of the GAA, launched GAAGO, the new subscription-based online streaming service, which will offer live and on-demand GAA games to audiences outside of Ireland starting with the 2014 GAA Championships. The event hosted in RTÉ’s Studios, was live streamed online to an international audience.

Launching the new GAAGO service, Páraic Duffy, Director General of the GAA said, “We are delighted to announce details for GAAGO and we look forward to its roll out in the weeks and months ahead. For the first time our games will be available to followers around the globe through the same service and we are enthused at the prospect of making it easier for people – both GAA members and new audiences alike – to make a connection with top level football and hurling regardless of where they might be. I would like to acknowledge the expertise that RTÉ have brought to bear on this process and we look forward to building on what is another important part of the global media rights strategy announced last month”.

Noel Curran, Director General, RTÉ said, “The launch of GAAGO is the latest evolution in the long and proud shared history between RTÉ and the GAA. RTÉ’s relationship with these games began in 1926 and has constantly grown and evolved with the audience and changing technologies ever since. Gaelic games, like RTÉ, are at the centre of Irish life. They are part of the very definition of our culture and identity. RTE is proud to be in partnership with the GAA to bring our games to an international audience and provide a sense of home from home for Irish diaspora and GAA fans worldwide”.

The new GAAGO subscription service will be available to Gaelic games enthusiasts everywhere in the world, outside of the Island of Ireland. All 45 televised games from the 2014 All Ireland Senior Football and Hurling Championships, as broadcast by RTÉ and Sky, will be available to watch this season. A worldwide GAAGO ‘Season Pass’ (excluding the Island of Ireland and Great Britain) is priced at €110
For Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), 25 games broadcast on RTÉ Two will be available on GAAGO, but games broadcast by Sky will only be available through Sky. The GAAGO ‘GB Pass’ for Great Britain is priced at €60.

Pay-per-game priced at €10 will also be available to purchase. For the quarter-final, semi-final and final stages of the All-Ireland Championships the pay-per-game price is €14.

Games will be streamed in high-quality HD and will include full commentary, scores, and studio programming as broadcast to audiences in Ireland. Subscribers will be able to view the games online on any internet-enabled device including mobile phones, tablet devices and laptops.

For all audiences worldwide, RTÉ’s The Sunday Game highlights programme will continue to be available to view for free on RTÉ Player.
The GAAGO service will beginning in mid-June 2014. Until then, RTÉ Player www.rte.ie/player will provide free worldwide streaming of GAA Championship matches, to include RTÉ’s and Sky’s coverage beginning with the meeting of Tyrone and Down on Sunday, 18th May. Sky-broadcast games will not be available on the RTÉ Player for audiences in Great Britain or the Island of Ireland. The public are invited to register for further information by visiting www.gaago.ie. Subscriptions for GAAGO will be available to purchase on www.gaago.ie in the lead up to the first game being streamed on GAAGO in mid-June.

Múirne Laffan, Managing Director of RTÉ Digital said “We are excited to bring a new viewing experience for Gaelic games to fans worldwide. Harnessing the best of technologies, the new GAAGO streaming platform will provide fans with the flexibility of watching every match, kick and score, on any internet-enabled device no matter where they are in the world. We look forward to working with the GAA to further develop the offering over the coming seasons’.

As part of the GAAGO brand’s promotional strategy, it was recently announced that GAAGO is to be a sponsor of the GAA All Ireland Senior Football Championship. GAAGO will sit alongside Eircom and SuperValu as the third and final brand in the GAA’s multi-sponsor model, with the GAA Hurling All Ireland Senior Championship platform already complete with Etihad, Centra and Liberty Insurance.

Glenn, love to know how many people you’ve spoke with who’ve actually tried it and had to deal with the ingnorance, incompetence, and extreme arrogance of these Flash using idiots. I’ve got emails that were not supposed to come my way in which the tech ‘somethings’ were actually making fun of me but the worst part is, they had no idea what they were talkiing about. There greedy slimeballs are the same people who would’ve said the earth was flat! There is no room FOR THIS KIND OF ABSOLUTE INSANITY AND GREED AND RUDENESS. It’s not like they’ve done anything special, I mean RTEPlayer did a much better job even through all the BS VPS stuff I had to do to watch here in the states. You want the real, the honest scoop about this most disgusting whatever you want to call it, attempt to shut the world out of Gaelic Games. It’s my only relief. Suggestion disband the no longer important or historically relevant in it’s current greed based state and promote the GPA to do it’s job. The GAA is a failure. The hatred of the GAA is much stronger among my ROI friends than anyone here. You want the scoop, I’ve every silly little screw-up, every insult and condecending word, every completely incorrect technical answer from these … Get in touch, write an article. that’s my real email. I’ve never dealt with a worse group of people as is at GAAGO or RTE or whomever is behind that greed! All the best but promoting the GAA in it’s current form is an insult to every athlete.